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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What happens to atoms in a nuclear reaction? |
They change into new atoms |
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Fusion Reactions |
Occur when the nuclei of two atoms fuse together to form a larger atom |
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What must the temperature be for fusion to occur? |
10-14 million Kelvin |
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Why do we wish we could use fusion on earth? |
it makes a lot of energy and doesn't use radioactive waste |
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Why does the energy in fusion come from? |
The mass of the two atoms |
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Where does fusion occur? |
The sun, hydrogen bombs |
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Fission Reactions |
Occur when at atom breaks apart into two smaller atoms |
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When does fission usually occur? |
When the nuclei of an atom is unstable due to too many protons or neutrons or is struck by fast moving particles |
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Where do we use fission reactions? |
nuclear power plants |
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Why can't we use fission too much? |
The atoms used and produced are radioactive |
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What is radioactive decay? |
Unstable nuclei spontaneously particles and/or energy to stabilize itself |
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What kind of reactions are most nuclear decay? |
Fission reactions |
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What are the three main types of nuclear decay? |
alpha decay, beta decay, gamma decay |
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Describe alpha decay |
An atom loses two neutrons and two protons (alpha particle) very weak, can be stopped by piece of paper |
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Describe beta decay |
A neutron changes into a proton by releasing an electron (beta particle), can travel farther than alpha and penetrate more deeply but do not cause damage |
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Describe gamma decay |
releases energy (gamma ray) from an isotope, making it more stable, but is very damaging |
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What is a half-life? |
The time it takes for half of a radioactive sample to decay |
